Northern Elephant Seals spend most of their lives in the ocean, diving several hundred meters underwater to catch their prey, sometimes for over an hour. Recent studies have shown that they also have a remarkable ability to survive on only two hours of sleep each day while they are at sea. “It’s important to map these extremes of [sleep behavior] across the animal kingdom,” says Jessica Kendall-Bar, who studies marine mammals at the University of California, San Diego (Snexplores, 2023).
According to Dr. Terrie Williams, a professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, “The Northern Elephant Seal is the champion breath holder of the mammalian world, able to dive 1500 meters deep and hold their breath for up to two hours.” She added, “They can dive hundreds of times per day, and while they are foraging, they spend about 90% of their time at depths below 200 meters” (Snexplores, 2023). This means that they spend a majority of their hunting time deep underwater, where they are far away from danger.
Dr. Nicole Thometz, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who conducted the study on Northern elephant seals’ sleeping habits, said, “They sleep in short periods, usually lasting ∼2 minutes, known as ‘vigilance bouts’ that intersperse continuous diving.” She added, “Their ability to function on such little sleep at sea is remarkable. It helps them to avoid predators, avoid shallow waters where they could get stranded, and to maximize the time they have to forage for food in the depths of the ocean” (Snexplores, 2023). This means that they use their short sleeping times to help them avoid predators, avoid easily-stranded shallow waters, and make their hunting time as long as possible.
The research study also found that the seals sleep more when they are on land. Dr. Thometz stated, “On land, the seals are much more relaxed and will sleep for longer periods of time, up to 12 hours per day. This makes sense, as they don’t have to worry about predators while they’re on land” (Snexplores, 2023). Underwater, they sleep way less than other animals, but on land, the seals sleep way longer than they do underwater.
With the ability to dive deep for long periods of time and survive on only two hours of sleep per day while at sea, Northern Elephant Seals are interesting creatures. They are an inspiration for scientists and animal lovers alike.
Link: https://www.snexplores.org/article/northern-elephant-seals-snooze-only-two-hours-a-day-at-sea
According to Dr. Terrie Williams, a professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, “The Northern Elephant Seal is the champion breath holder of the mammalian world, able to dive 1500 meters deep and hold their breath for up to two hours.” She added, “They can dive hundreds of times per day, and while they are foraging, they spend about 90% of their time at depths below 200 meters” (Snexplores, 2023). This means that they spend a majority of their hunting time deep underwater, where they are far away from danger.
Dr. Nicole Thometz, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who conducted the study on Northern elephant seals’ sleeping habits, said, “They sleep in short periods, usually lasting ∼2 minutes, known as ‘vigilance bouts’ that intersperse continuous diving.” She added, “Their ability to function on such little sleep at sea is remarkable. It helps them to avoid predators, avoid shallow waters where they could get stranded, and to maximize the time they have to forage for food in the depths of the ocean” (Snexplores, 2023). This means that they use their short sleeping times to help them avoid predators, avoid easily-stranded shallow waters, and make their hunting time as long as possible.
The research study also found that the seals sleep more when they are on land. Dr. Thometz stated, “On land, the seals are much more relaxed and will sleep for longer periods of time, up to 12 hours per day. This makes sense, as they don’t have to worry about predators while they’re on land” (Snexplores, 2023). Underwater, they sleep way less than other animals, but on land, the seals sleep way longer than they do underwater.
With the ability to dive deep for long periods of time and survive on only two hours of sleep per day while at sea, Northern Elephant Seals are interesting creatures. They are an inspiration for scientists and animal lovers alike.
Link: https://www.snexplores.org/article/northern-elephant-seals-snooze-only-two-hours-a-day-at-sea